Railway switch and signal.



W. N. CARROLL. RAILWAY SWITCH AND SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2'1,190"]. RENEWED 0C1. 5, 1908.

920 267. Patented May 4, 1909. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

2,5 26 I 1 Z8 T 2 #2 7 m i C r? W Ill I M Gumm IJI NORRIS II'TIIS cm,lllnluwflm, A c.

WILLIAM N. CARROLL, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

RAILWAY SWITCH AND SIGNAL.

Application filed November 27, 1907, Serial No. 404,081.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1909. Renewed October 5, 1908. Serial No. 456,218.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM N. CARROLL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RailwaySwitches and Signals, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in railway safetyappliances, and more particularly to a novel and efficient signalmechanism for warning an engineer that he is running into an openswitch.

Among the objects of the invention is to design a signal mechanism whichis simple in its construction and operates efficiently on the darkestnights or in the stormiest weather, since there are no lights to beblown out or electric devices to get out of order.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and alsoto acquire a knowledge of the details of construction and the means foreffecting the result, reference is to be had to the followingdescription and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a track having the switchmechanism applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view throughthe track showing the signal arms in proper position for actuating thealarm mechanism upon the train. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion ofthe track show.- ing the switch which the signal arms are mounted. Fig.4 is a perspective view'of the alarm mechanism upon the train, portionsof the latter being broken away.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views 0" the drawings by the samereference characters.

Referring to the drawings the numerals 1 designate the rails which aresupported in the usual manner upon the cross ties 2, and 3 a switch ofthe conventional construction. The switch actuatin bar 4 is slidablymounted under the rails, one end of the said bar extending beyond a sideof the track and being connected by a pitman 5 tothe crank portion of anupright shaft 6 journaled upon a switch stand 7 of the usualconstruction. For the purpose of rotating the operating shaft 6 to openor close the switch 3 a leverS is provided, one end of the lever havinga and one of the standards upon handle 9 pivoted thereto and the saidhandle being designed to engage notches at opposite ends of a quadrant.

The op osite end of the bar 1 is s idably connecting a pair switchactuating mounted upon a guide 11 of ties 2 and carries a block 12 thetwo ends of which are beveled in opposite directions as indicated at 13.Pivotally mounted upon each side of the block 12 is a lever 14, the endportions of the two levers being extended inwardly so as to engage withthe beveled faces 13 of the block 12. It may also be mentioned thatthese levers 14 are pivoted at points between their ends upon the twoarms of a U shaped member 15, the cross bar of which extends across theblock and tends to hold the same against vertical displacement. \Viththis construction it will be readily apparent that as the switchactuating bar 4 is moved back and forth to open or close the switch, thebeveled faces 13 of the block 12 will cooperate with the inwardlyextended ends of the lovers 14 to impart an oscillatory movement to thelatter.

A standard 16 is disposed upon each side of the track and in oppositedirections from the switch, a sufficient distance being provided betweenthe standards and the switch to enable the engineer to bring his trainto a stop after receiving the warning that the switch is open. Pivotallymounted upon each of the standards 16 is an arm 17, and the said armsare provided with extensions 18 which are pivotally connected thereto soas to swing laterally in both directions. For the purpose of holdingthese extensions 18 normally in alinoment with the arms 17 springs 19are utilized, the said springs having one of their ends rigidlyconnected to the arms while their opposite ends pass loosely throu hguide loops 20 upon the extensions 18. t will also be observed that inthe present instance these springs 19 have intermediate portions thereofcoiled at 21 for the purpose of increasing the resiliency of the saidmembers. Cables 22 are connected to the arms 17 upon opposite sides ofthe pivot points of the same and pass around guide pulleys 23 at thebase of the standards 16. These cables 22 then pass around a second setof guide pulleys 24 and extend along the track, the

extremities of each pair of the cables being connected to opposite endsof the correspending lever 8. In this manner motion i transmitted fromthe levers 8 to the signa arm 17 and the various parts are so arranger.that when the switch is open the arms 17 ar moved into an approximatelyhorizontal position, while v hen the switch is closed the said arms areswung downwardly.

Journaled upon the cab of the locomotive or other suitable part of thetrain is ahori- Zontal rock shaft 25 one end of which projects laterallybeyond the cab, while the opposite end is disposed within the cab andcarries a hammer 26 for sounding a gong 27. The outer end of the rockshaft 25 is provided with a crank arm 28 having the extremity thereofconnected by means of a cable or flexible member 29 to a finger 3Oprojecting laterally from the lower portion of the cab. 1 This "linger30 is shown in the present inj stance as pivotally connected to abracket 31 1 so as to swing in a horizontal plane, and this finger 30 iscaused to normally project outwardly by means of a spring 32 similar tothe l before mentioned springs 19 upon the signal arms. These parts areso arranged that should the cable 229 meet with any obstruction such aswould produce tension therein the rock shaft 25 is rotated and the hminer 26 caused to sound the gong 27. A spring 33 normally holds thehammer away from the ong.

Vi hen the switch 3 is closed the signal arms 17 are swung downwardlyand the extensions 18 thereby moved out of the path of the cable 29.However when the switch 3 is open the 1 arms 17 are caused to assumesuch a position that the extensions 18 project within the path of thecable 29 and engage with the l same, causing the hammer to sound thegong and warn the en ineer of the fact that the switch is open.Attention is directed to the fact that the extensions 18 are yieldinglyj held in position by means of the spring 32, such construction tendingto break the imj pact due to the velocity of the train and to l preventinjury to the various parts of the 1 signal mechanism. l Having thusdescribed the invention, what is claimed as. new is: 1. In a railwaysafety appliance, the combination of an alarm mechanism mounted trainand having an operative connection with the alarm mechanism, adapted toengage the cable to sound the alarm mechanism. 1 2. In a railway safetyappliance, the coml bination of an alarm mechanism mounted upon thetrain, a cable stretched upon the train and having an operativeconnection with the alarm mechanism, an arm, and a. yielding extensioncarried by the arm for en the cable to operate the alarm mechupon thetrain, a cable stretched upon the j 1 and an arm anism.

3. In a railway safety apphance, the comtrain and having bination of analarm mechanism mounted upon the train, a cable stretched upon the anoperative connection with the alarm mechanism, an arm for engaging thecable to operate the alarm mechanism, and means for moving the arm intoand out of the path of the cable.

1. In a railway safety appliance, the CO1- bination of an alarmmechanism mounted upon the train, a cable stretchedupon the train andhaving an operative connection with the alarm mechanism, an arm forenthe cable to operate the alarm mechanism, a switch, and means formoving the arm into and out of the path of the cable when the switch isthrown.

5. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of an alarm mechanismmounted upon the train and adapted to be actuated by a rock shaft, acable stretched upon the train and having an operative connection withthe rock shaft for turning the same, and an arm adapted to engage thecable to operate the alarm mechanism.

6. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of a standard, an armpivotally mounted upon the standard, a yielding extension for the arm,means for controlling the arm, a rock shaft mounted upon the train, analarm mechanism adapted to be actuated by the rock shaft, and a cablefor turning the rock shaft, the said cable being adapted to be engagedby the before mentioned yielding extension of the arm.

7. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of a standard, an armmounted upon the standard, a rock shaft journaled upon the train, analarm mechanism adapted to be actuated by the rock shaft, a yieldingfinger projecting from the train, and a cable connecting the rock shaftand yielding finger and adapted to be engaged by the before mentionedarm to rotate the rock shaft.

8. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of a standard, an armcarried by the standard, yielding extension for the arm, an alarmmechanism mounted upon the train, a yielding finger projecting from thetrain, and a cable connected to the yielding linger and adapted toactuate the alarm mechanism, the said cable being. designed to beengaged by the yielding extension of the before mentioned arm.

9. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of a switch, a switchoperating bar, a block carried by the switch operating bar and havingthe ends thereof beveled, a lever pivotally mounted upon one side of theblock and having the ends thereof extended inwardly so that the lever isoscillated when the block is moved, an alarm mechanism mounted upon thetrain, and means c011- trolled by the before mentioned lever foractuating the alarm mechanism.

10. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of a switch, a switchoperating bar, a block carried by the switch operating bar and havingportions thereof beveled, a lever pivotally mounted upon one side of theblock 5 and adapted to be oscillated by the beveled portions of thelatter when the switch bar is moved, an alarm mechanism upon the train,a standard, an arm upon the standard for actuating the alarm mechanismupon the train, and connecting means between the arm and the lever.

11. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of a switch, a switchactuating bar, a block carried by the switch actuating bar and havingopposite ends thereof beveled, a lever pivotally mounted upon one sideof the block and adapted to be oscillated by the beveled portions of theblock when the switch is operated, a standard, an arm pivotally mountedupon the standard, a yielding extension for the arm, connecting meansbetween the arm and the lever, an alarm mechanism upon the train, and acable for actuating the said alarm mechanism, the said cable I beingadapted to be engaged by the yielding extension of the arm.

12. In a railway safety ap liance, the combination of a switch, a blocmounted to be moved when the switch is thrown, a lever mounted incooperative relation to the block so as to be swung about its pivot whenthe block is moved, and a signal operated by the lever. 13. In a railwaysafety ap liance, the coml bination of a switch, a blocl mounted to be imoved when the switch is thrown and having a beveled portion, a levermounted in cooperative relation to the block and engaging the beveledportion thereof so as to be swung about its pivot when the block ismoved, and a signal mechanism controlled by the lever.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM N. CARROLL. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

P. H. GUNoKEL, H. A. BOWMAN.

